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Ten Steps TowardSuccessful Drying
NEKDA Spring Meeting May 14, 2015
Presented by:
Peter Garrahan
Ten Steps Toward Successful Drying25/3/2015 Slide 2
Step No. 1: Enabling the kiln operator to operate in a holistic manner
Ten Steps Toward Successful Drying25/3/2015 Slide 3
Kiln Operator
Logging Practices
Log Inventory Practices
Green Lumber Storage Practices
Dry Lumber Storage
Planer Operation Demands
Customer Expectations
Step No. 1: Enabling the kiln operator to operate in a holistic manner
Ten Steps Toward Successful Drying25/3/2015 Slide 4Step No. 1: Enabling the kiln operator to operate in a holistic manner
Approach
1. Involving/informing kiln operator on developments in each of these areas.
2. Informing personnel in each of these areas of the impact that their actions have on drying.
3. Identifying key information that needs to be exchanged, i.e.• New cutting regions• Space constraints in green lumber storage• New customer• Etc.
4. Have kiln operator visit and meet with key customers to get better understanding of quality needs.
Ten Steps Toward Successful Drying25/3/2015 Slide 5Step No. 1: Enabling the kiln operator to operate in a holistic manner
Benefits
1. Operator sees the whole picture and not just part of it.
2. Drying decisions are always about the “best” decisions based on all circumstances.
3. Operator needs to be able to predict the outcome and explain why it is so.
4. No surprises!
Ten Steps Toward Successful Drying25/3/2015 Slide 6
Step No. 2: Know your wood
Physical Characterististics
• Initial MC
• Density
• Species proportions
• Compression wood
Ten Steps Toward Successful Drying25/3/2015 Slide 7
Step No. 2: Know your wood
Approach
1. Technologies available to assist such as species detectors, green MC measurements, density detectors.
2. Manual collection of information through oven‐dry MC tests, grade inspections of green lumber (quality of wood before drying).
3. Tracking material through drying process to evaluate impact of different characteristics on outcome i.e. grade outturn, final MC patterns.
4. Develop drying strategies for different wood types.
Ten Steps Toward Successful Drying25/3/2015 Slide 8
Benefits
1. More uniform kiln charges → final MC uniformity→ higher avg. final MC→ less degrade from over‐drying
2. Every 1.0% increase in final MC decreases drying degrade losses by about 1% of lumber value
‐ at current prices that represents about $4/Mbf
3. Help determine if pre‐sorting technology will provide a payback for your mill
Step No. 2: Know your wood
Ten Steps Toward Successful Drying25/3/2015 Slide 9
Step No. 3: Choosing the right equipment for the job
Capabilities of Equipment
• Temperature limits• Airflow characteristics• Venting capacity
• Impact on drying rate
Ten Steps Toward Successful Drying25/3/2015 Slide 10
Step No. 3: Choosing the right equipment for the job
Approach
1. Existing Drying Operation:• Know the characteristics of each of your kilns in order
to direct each charge to the most appropriate kiln
2. New Kiln Facilities• Let the material to be dried determine the equipment
needs (and not just your budget constraints)• Schedules to be run and drying rates to be achieved
will help you and the kiln supplier determine how to best engineer a solution that will work
Ten Steps Toward Successful Drying25/3/2015 Slide 11
Step No. 3: Choosing the right equipment for the job
Benefits
1. More predictable results• Drying times• Lumber quality• Productivity
2. No surplus capacity i.e. using all of the features you have paid for.
Ten Steps Toward Successful Drying25/3/2015 Slide 12
Step No. 4: Plastic strapping
Polyester Strapping Applied at Stacker
• High tension capacity• Stretch capacity to
maintain tension• Recycling of material
• Numerous benefits
Ten Steps Toward Successful Drying25/3/2015 Slide 13
Step No. 4: Plastic strapping
Ten Steps Toward Successful Drying25/3/2015 Slide 14
Polyester Strapping
• Typical strap has 1600 lbs. breaking strength
• Elongation of up to 13%• Strap cost about $0.30 ‐
$0.45/Mbf
• Other costs• Equipment
• Manual• Automated
• Extra labour
Ten Steps Toward Successful Drying25/3/2015 Slide 15
Step No. 4: Plastic strapping
Documented Benefits
1. Reductions in material loss and breakage in the yard (green & dry)
• Lumber• Stickers
2. Improved efficiency of loaders (green and dry)
3. Reduced drying degrade due to:• Restraint• Better package quality
Ten Steps Toward Successful Drying25/3/2015 Slide 16
Documented Benefits (contin.)
4. Potential to implement attached dunnage
5. Benefits at infeed to planer• Fewer severely warped pieces (less jam ups, better
productivity)
Step No. 4: Plastic strapping
Ten Steps Toward Successful Drying25/3/2015 Slide 17
Step No. 5: Kiln charge preparation
Ten Steps Toward Successful Drying25/3/2015 Slide 18
Step No. 5: Kiln charge preparation
Approach
1. Uniformity going in →→ uniformity coming out• Species• Dimensions• Resource• History
2. Know your load and you will be better prepared to:• Select the appropriate schedule• Estimate drying times and results
Ten Steps Toward Successful Drying25/3/2015 Slide 19
Step No. 5: Kiln charge preparation
Approach
3. Neat, well constructed loads result in better kiln performance
• Improved airflow
• More uniform drying
Ten Steps Toward Successful Drying25/3/2015 Slide 20
Step No. 5: Kiln charge preparation
Benefits
1. More uniform drying → shorter drying me
i.e. 1% reduction in drying time would provide for 2 extra charges per year per kiln.
Ten Steps Toward Successful Drying25/3/2015 Slide 21
Step No. 6: Create a uniform drying environment
Uniformity – a common theme
Creating a uniform drying environment is the only way to take advantage of all the efforts to produce uniform loads.
Ten Steps Toward Successful Drying25/3/2015 Slide 22
Step No. 6: Create a uniform drying environment
Approach
1. Analyze current process
2. Compare results against expectations
3. Make necessary changes to equipment and/or procedures
Ten Steps Toward Successful Drying25/3/2015 Slide 23
Step No. 6: Create a uniform drying environment
Many tools available to help with analyzing the process performance
Basic Kit for Kiln Evaluation
Two, 8‐channel temperature data loggers $600Thermocouple wire and sensors $300Basic notebook computer for above $500Airflow meter $700Portable wet‐bulb sensors $200
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐Total $2,300
suppliers such as Dendrotik, ITM, Omega, Cole Parmer
Ten Steps Toward Successful Drying25/3/2015 Slide 24
Step No. 6: Create a uniform drying environment
Approach
• DB Temperature variability +/‐ 5° F.• WB Temperature variability +/‐ 5° F.• Airflow +/‐ 10% of maximum
Can you describe your process performance?
If you can’t describe what you are doing as a process, you don’t know what you’re doing.
W. Edwards Deming
Ten Steps Toward Successful Drying25/3/2015 Slide 25
Step No. 6: Create a uniform drying environment
Approach
• Make necessary changes to equipment or procedures i.e.
• Boosting heating capacity (i.e. adding coils, installing more tubes for direct‐fired units)
• Adding or reducing venting capacity
• Adding more fans or baffles
Ten Steps Toward Successful Drying25/3/2015 Slide 26
Step No. 7: Develop standard operating procedures (SOPs) for all regular activities
SOP Definition
Written procedure prescribed for repetitive use as a practice, in accordance with agreed upon specifications aimed at obtaining a desired outcome.
Ten Steps Toward Successful Drying25/3/2015 Slide 27Step No. 7: Develop standard operating procedures (SOPs)
Approach
Examples of activities which would benefit from a SOP:
• Evaluation of any activity including piling, kiln loading, etc.
• Hot checks in a kiln
• Follow‐up MC checks in yard or planer mill
• Grade checks
• Kiln tune up
• Kiln shut‐down procedures
Ten Steps Toward Successful Drying25/3/2015 Slide 28Step No. 7: Develop standard operating procedures (SOPs)
Benefits of SOPs
• Minimize impact of human element (less judgment calls)
• Standardized procedures should be more efficient to conduct (once learned)
• Define procedure to desired level of detail/accuracy (not too much or too little)
• Make statistical analysis/comparisons more relevant
• Better consistency in results over time
Ten Steps Toward Successful Drying25/3/2015 Slide 29Step No. 7: Develop standard operating procedures (SOPs)
Preparing SOPs
Many resources available for help with writing SOPs including:
• Software programs on how to write SOPs complete with templates
• QC programs such as Six Sigma incorporate SOP preparation as part of their system
Ten Steps Toward Successful Drying25/3/2015 Slide 30
Step No. 8: Develop a library of drying schedules
The effectiveness of a drying operation should be measured by how much the drying time varies rather than by how consistent it is.
Ten Steps Toward Successful Drying25/3/2015 Slide 31
Step No. 8: Develop a library of drying schedules
Approach
Start with basic drying schedules and fine tune but continually following the pattern:
Initial Schedule
Observe And
MeasureAdjust
Observe and
Measure
New Schedule
for Library
Ten Steps Toward Successful Drying25/3/2015 Slide 32
Step No. 8: Develop a library of drying schedules
Benefits
• More consistent and predictable drying results
• Maximize productivity at kilns
Ten Steps Toward Successful Drying25/3/2015 Slide 33
Step No. 9: In-line moisture meter at the planer mill
If you don’t measure it, you can’t manage it.
In‐line moisture meters offer the only way to get complete and accurate information on the final MC of the material you have dried
Ten Steps Toward Successful Drying25/3/2015 Slide 34
Step No. 9: In-line moisture meter at the planer mill
Photo from Wagner website
Ten Steps Toward Successful Drying25/3/2015 Slide 35
Step No. 9: In-line moisture meter at the planer mill
Benefits
• QC benefits for supplying consistent and known product to
customers
• Opportunities to refine drying operations
(enables the adjust → Observe and measure → adjust …….)
Ten Steps Toward Successful Drying25/3/2015 Slide 36
Step No. 10: Warp and grade analysis at the planer mill
Now you can measure it, so why not start to manage it?
Automated grading systems are capable of collecting and providing detailed information on warp which is the primary drying degrade factor for softwoods
Ten Steps Toward Successful Drying25/3/2015 Slide 37
Step No. 10: Warp and grade analysis at the planer mill
Automated Grading
• Linear and transverse systems
• System outputs grade information
but also possible to get detailed
information on amount of warp.Photo from Comact website
Ten Steps Toward Successful Drying25/3/2015 Slide 38
Step No. 10: Warp and grade analysis at the planer mill
We used to refer to drying degrade as the “Hidden Cost of Drying”
Ten Steps Toward Successful Drying25/3/2015 Slide 39
Mill # / Species Value Losses(%)
Value Losses($/Mbf)
1 – Spruce 9.3% $37.20
1 – Pine 7.5% $30.00
2 – Spruce 6.2% $24.80
3 ‐ Spruce‐Pine 2.8% $11.20
4 ‐ Pine 0.9% $3.60
5 ‐ Spruce 2.3% $9.20
Warp is a real cost of drying.
Ten Steps Toward Successful Drying25/3/2015 Slide 40
Step No. 10: Warp and grade analysis at the planer mill
With detailed information on type and amount of warp we can start to look at measures on how to reduce it and then measure the impact of those changes.
Ten Steps Toward Successful Drying25/3/2015 Slide 41
Example of Benefits
Automated grading systems provide opportunity to compare actual measured warp against critical values for lumber grade.
Step No. 10: Warp and grade analysis at the planer mill
Ten Steps Toward Successful Drying25/3/2015 Slide 42
Example of Benefits
1. You determine you are losing $225 ($1.50/Mbf) on every load
(3 kilns) due to extra warp from poorly piled lumber
(problems at stacker)
2. Repairs to stacker will cost $50,000
3. ROI on repairs → ≈ 3months
Step No. 10: Warp and grade analysis at the planer mill
FPInnovations study by Jean McDonald“Assessment of Automated Grading Systems for Softwood Lumber”
Ten Steps Toward Successful Drying25/3/2015 Slide 43
Concluding Remarks
• As mentioned in several of the steps, success in drying is a result of applying a consistent methodical approach.
• Data/information are great but only if we use them wisely.
Innovation comes from the producer – NOT from the customer.
W. Edwards Deming
Thank Youfor your
Attention & Participation
Questions?Or contact me anytime at:
peter@garrahan.ca
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